The objective of the project is to investigate the debate concerning the social and political role of Islam in in the aftermath of the attacks in the US on 11 September 2001, the war in Iraq, the attacks that took place in Riyadh in 2003, and other significant events and developments in the present decade. is commonly associated with a puritanical form of Sunni Islam known as "wahhabism" or "salafism". Traditionally, the Saudi monarchy has contributed to the propagation of this form of Islam. In recent years, however, it has become a burden and a problem for the monarchy, because of militant wings such as al-Qaida. At the same time, a "liberal" discourse has developed, criticising not only militant groups, but also the wahhabi establishment and its influence. The monarchy has showed itself receptive to certain reform ideas, as well as being supportive of creating forums for a national dialogue between different branches of Islam. Such attempts at reform and dialogue however, have met with opposition, not only from militants, but also from the wahhabi establishment. The escalating sectarian conflict in Iraq, between Sunnis and Shiites, is also a risk factor that may spill over into , and make the attempts at dialogue and "liberal" reforms more difficult. One aim of the project is to identify the various positions in the debate, and to analyse the conventions that regulate public debate in , through critical discourse analysis.